Given The Chance
by Goddess-Isis-112
Summary: Hermione Granger and Severus Snape find themselves trapped together in a tiny room with no means of escape. The worst part: it's Valentine's Day. PostVoldemort fluff.
1. Chapter One: Trapped

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Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns the universe of Harry Potter. I am merely borrowing a few things here and there ^_^

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Author's Note: My first HP and SS/HG story. Post-Voldemort fluff set in Hermione's 7th year. Also a response to 2003 Valentine's Day Challenge on WIKTT (One Room - Survival Pack) created by Autumnmist, SilentG, and pigwidgeon37

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Given The Chance

By: Goddess-Isis-112

Chapter One: Trapped

"Miss Granger, I assure you," Professor Severus Snape hissed impatiently with his arms crossed over his chest. "The wall is solid and will not disappear, no matter how long you stare at it." Hermione felt her cheeks redden with humiliation as she swerved her head to glare at her Professor. It had only been five minutes since they had stumbled into the tiny four-wall room, and she was about ready to pluck his eyes out.

"Well, your sulking will do us no good," she shot back with black eyes immediately widening at her daring, and she turned away to face the wall once more as she bit her bottom lip in nervousness. It would be any second now before he-

"_Ten points, Miss Granger!_" Snape growled, his silky voice dripping with anger. "Don't think that just because we are now trapped in…wherever we are, you have the right to talk to me in such an impertinent manner." He glared at the back of her head of bushy brown hair, but she would not turn around. Instead, she ran her fingers across the cold, rough surface of the brick wall in front of her. They had immediately tried all types of different spells on the walls when they had fallen into the room, but nothing seemed to bring about an opening of some sort to let them out. Things didn't look any better when they had tapped their wands in all directions across the bricks, hoping beyond hope that there would be an enchanted wall, much like the one in the walled courtyard in the back of the Leady Cauldron that led to Diagon Alley. When that failed, they then proceeded to try to physically push through the walls, but it was useless. They were stuck there, for how long, they did not know. That fact alone was grating on both of their nerves, and Hermione pressed her lips to a determined line. In order to survive through the ordeal, they had to learn how to survive with each other first.

"My apologies, sir," she whispered, finally backing away from the wall, and turning, she slumped against it, lowering herself until she was sitting on the floor with her knees drawn to her chest, her arms wrapping around her legs.

Snape studied the young woman as she lay her chin dejectedly onto her knees and he sneered at her. "You are forewarned. I will not tolerate any more disrespect," he barked. "Do you understand me, Miss Granger?" Not trusting herself to speak, the young Gryffindor merely gave a nod as her Professor muttered under his breath as he wandered around the room.

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How did I ever end up here with the greasy git, she thought to herself, sneaking a glance in his direction. It had happened all so suddenly, before she had any idea of what was going on. It was another quiet Potions class, and Snape had assigned them a rather difficult potion to brew: a Consilium potion, designed to enhance the drinker's ability to absorb information. If drunk prior to reading a book, one would be able to retain all the information and details; it gave a person momentary photographic memory, and it was a potion Hermione was keen on brewing perfectly. She recalled handing Neville a flask of infused powdered root of asphodel and elephant tear drops when there had been a loud, explosive bang behind her, and brown had met black when her eyes locked with Snape's just as he reached her side during his rounds around the classroom, and suddenly the two of them were falling, tumbling down a dark chute only to land in the room they now found themselves trapped in.

And they were stuck there with no idea of how to get out.

Hermione groaned inwardly. Out of all the professors, it just _had_ to be Snape, the one teacher who was not impressed at all by her brilliance, her intelligence. It just _had_ to be the one teacher whom she felt hated her very existence because of her friendship with the Boy-Who-Lived, more recently known as the Boy-Who-Killed-You-Know-Who. She studied Snape as he stalked this way and that in his graceful manner, his scowl cutting deep ravines into his weary face. It unnerved her, really, that her stoic professor was pacing, his black eyes betraying his nervousness; if Snape was worried, then it made Hermione ten times more so. It was only on very few occasions that Snape ever showed his anxiety, and it was not a good sign that now was one of those times.

"Shit." The hissed word startled Hermione out of her thoughts, and she straightened as she looked at her professor curiously. He glowered at her look, one which he had seen far too many times in his classroom whenever he asked a difficult question. He bit back a cutting remark and explained instead, "I can't apparate. There is a good chance we are still at Hogwarts, maybe somewhere deep below the dungeons."

"How do you know for sure?" she asked eagerly before she could stop herself and was rewarded with Snape's trademark scowl, but he frowned as he tried to answer her, and after a few more seconds, his shoulders drooped very slightly, but they drooped nonetheless.

"I hope we are," he replied simply, turning his back to her to face the opposite wall before she could see the flash of vulnerability in his countenance. He continued his pacing around the room, never once daring a glance in his student's direction, and Hermione let out a small, almost inaudible sigh.

The best they could do now was wait for someone to find them.

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TBC…Next chapter should be up in a week or so ^_^

Here are the rules of the challenge:

One Room - Survival Pak: 

1. Hermione and Snape are stuck in one place for 27 hours. Where and how are your choice! 

2. Filch makes an appearance. 

3. Someone has to burble incoherently. 

4. Handcuffs have to be mentioned in the story.


	2. Chapter Two: The Toilet

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Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe. No copyright infringement intended. No money is being made.

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Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews!! ^_^ 

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Given the Chance

By: Goddess-Isis-112

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Chapter Two: The Toilet

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It has been an hour at least, Hermione mused in silence. _Surely _someone _must have an inkling of where we've gone!_ Once again, she found herself watching her surly Potions Professor as he sat across from her with his back against the opposite wall. They hadn't spoken much to each other, with only a few words here and there to fill in the empty quiet. As much as Hermione hated to admit it, Snape wasn't as…well, as bad as she had thought him to be. Sure, she didn't hate him as much as Ron or Harry, perhaps, but he really wasn't much of a git as he was when teaching them in class, or roaming in the halls trying catch them breaking the rules, or sitting at the Head Table in the Great Hall with this air of superiority that made her want to slap him silly sometimes, but…he really wasn't _so _bad when he wasn't on a power trip. _In fact, he really isn't that horrible looking either-_

"Oh," she uttered, blushing. _What is wrong with me?_ she pondered as Snape glared quizzically in her direction with the tiniest hint of a sneer on his lips.

"What is it, Miss Granger?" he sighed in exasperation as she continued to blush furiously at her thoughts.

"I..just…w-what if w-we need to use the loo?" she stammered, babbling the first excuse that would come to mind. Snape glowered at his student, his brow creasing with alarm.

"Do you need-"

"Well, no," she uttered, bowing her head and focusing on her wringing hands. "Just…w-what if?"

"Well, I suppose we could transfigure something into a toilet," Snape replied awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably on his spot on the floor, and…yes, Hermione was sure of it, there were faint splashes of red dancing on the apples of his angular cheeks. He became aware of her stare, and he glared in her direction. "Well, get on with it then."

"Right." _Thank Merlin my school bag fell with me_, Hermione thought, picking up a random scroll, and glancing over her neat script, it took a few moments before she concluded that it wasn't very important when Snape snorted at her.

"As to be expected, the Miss-Know-It-All Gryffindor would rather save some worthless Divination assignment than use it for a much better purpose," he snarled nastily.

"Divination!" Hermione bristled at the mention of the horrid class. "I do not take Divination, nor have I been in the same classroom with that overgrown, daft cow Trelawney since 3rd year!" Snape merely sneered at her once more.

"Five points, Miss Granger, for yelling at a Professor, and another five points more for openly insulting another Professor in the presence of one of the faculty," he grinned nastily as Hermione fumed. "If I recall correctly, you have already lost ten points for Gryffindor House previous to this, so your total is twenty points in the span of an hour. Bravo." Anger boiled through her veins, and instinctively, Hermione flung the scroll in Snape's direction, succeeding in hitting him squarely in the middle of his chest. For a moment, Hermione felt a pang of regret, but the small sense of revenge caused her lips to twitch into a tiny smile. It felt damned good to retaliate, even if it were something as diminutive as throwing a scroll around.

Blinking, Snape stared at the scroll which had landed by his feet before he shot Hermione a cold look. "Idiot girl! Are you begging for a month's worth of detention, Miss Granger?" Snape growled. "Attempted violence directed toward a Professor could land you an expulsion from Hogwarts-"

"Oh, yes, one could commit a mass murder with a single scroll," Hermione scoffed dryly before she could stop herself. Snape's face grew hot.

"TWENTY POINTS!" he yelled fiercely, getting up from his spot on the floor and pulling himself up to his full height. "What exactly are you trying to do, Miss Granger? Provoke me into a duel?!" Hermione also got to her feet and crossed her arms, defiantly glaring back at him. Gryffindor be damned if she were about to stay there forever with Snape without striking back.

"Look, Snape, you are NOT making this easier! There is no way I am going to stay in this tiny room for Merlin knows how long and let _you _disrespect _me,_" she hissed angrily in return. "Take away as many points as you please! You've done so for seven bloody years! I. Don't. Care. Anymore! And while we are throwing insults back and forth, you are an insufferable git, and you can transfigure your own toilet!" Snape recoiled as if slapped and gaped at the furious student who looked ready to pummel is face with her clenched fists. 

Brown met black and both looked angrily at each other, and a realization dawned on Snape for the first time that Granger was no longer the little, awkward girl he had grown accustomed to teaching. In fact, she was quite the contrary; she had definitely blossomed in her final year, and that uneasy fact crawled into his mind, making it difficult to stare at her flushed, livid expression. The intensity of her brown eyes threatened to drown him, and he jerked his eyes away from hers only to land on…her lips: plump, pink…inviting him to-

He turned away suddenly, shaking his head to free himself from those imposing, inappropriate thoughts. Besides, there were other important issues to attend to at the moment that were demanding his attention; if he did not act immediately, he would soon find himself under even more embarrassing circumstances, and so he merely picked up the scroll and turned away from her, uttering only three words: "Leave me alone."

For a moment, she thought she had heard him incorrectly, but he said nothing else, studying the scroll he held in his hand, and she felt her anger seep away to that of shame. Maybe she had said too much in too short a time, or maybe her words actually did hurt him. Maybe, just maybe, Snape actually had…well, feelings. Biting her lip, she kept her gaze focused on him as he placed her scroll in one corner of the room…and transfigured it into a toilet.

He looked sharply at her, his acid tongue spitting out, "Usually, when one needs to use the toilet, he or she does not need an audience." Blushing, she turned away, feeling her cheeks redden even more when she actually _heard_ him. She waited patiently, wanting to apologize, but somehow feeling it improper to speak to him as he was busy with…his lavatory business. She waited…and waited…and waited. _Merlin, how much did he drink before class started?_ Hermione wondered, amazed at how long he kept going.

"If you needed to use the loo that badly, why didn't you ask for something to transfigure sooner?" she found herself asking.

"Are you going out of your way to make this horrible situation as uncomfortable for me as possible?" he barked back at her just as he finished. He zipped up his trousers, and out of habit looked around for a basin to wash his hands, and he found it in Hermione's corner, where she was looking up at him apprehensively. He approached her section and gave her a brief nod of appreciation as he washed his hands. A hand towel was resting on a rack next to the basin, and although he gave no indication, Snape was impressed. The girl, no…the _young woman, _he corrected himself, was thorough…very thorough.

"I'm sorry," a small voice came from behind him, and he swerved around to look at her, his billowing robes giving the satisfactory impression of a bigger movement. She wouldn't meet his eyes, choosing to study his shoes instead. "I shouldn't have said what I did, and I know I probably deserve whatever punishment you give me once we find a way out of here." His mind immediately jumped to the double-entendre, visualizing a writhing Miss Granger on dark green satin sheets wearing fur-covered handcuffs…and only handcuffs-

"I'm sorry," she repeated again, mistaking his silence for that of quiet fury and effectively snapping him out of his thoughts. He muttered something to the effect of "superfluous apologies" before stalking over by his toilet, as far away from her as possible. Somehow, the room felt even smaller, now that he had recognized her…womanly assets…and he only hoped it was a case of momentary insanity. Hermione merely shrugged slightly in confusion at his unusual behavior and did as he asked, leaving him alone to brood.

Meanwhile, back at the Headmaster's Office, three pairs of eyes studied a worn piece of parchment, particularly examining two still, overlapping dots labeled, "Hermione Granger" and "Severus Snape."

"But that's impossible!" Ron Weasley sputtered, disbelieving his eyes. "How can Hermione and Snape still be in the dungeons when we've searched the entire area?"

"It is 'Professor Snape,' Mr. Weasley," Albus Dumbledore corrected, "and according to the Marauder's Map, that is where they are." Suddenly, the old wizard's eyes lit up and twinkled merrily. He reached over to his bowl of lemon drops and popped one into his mouth. "I might know as to where they could have disappeared to." The two Gryffindors jumped at his words, and he held out his hand to silence them. "We need the aid of Miss Granger's familiar."

"Crookshanks?!" Ron cried out.

"What for?" Harry questioned.

"Trust me," Dumbledore answered, relaxing back into his chair. "Crookshanks will find them." Both boys looked at each other and frowned as Dumbledore sat with his eyes twinkling.

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TBC…


	3. Chapter Three: Hungry?

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Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe. No money is being made. Plot was inspired by 2003 Valentine's Day Challenge on WIKTT.

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Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews! Things get a little more…physical ^_^ But not by much (not yet anyway)! Snape and Hermione get a little OOC, but eh! Many thanks to my beta Sheila!

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Given The Chance

By: Goddess-Isis-112

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Chapter Three: Hungry?

The sound of a grumbling stomach caused a faint blush to spread across Snape's angular cheeks. Hermione's head snapped up at the sound, and her curious expression met a murderous stare that threatened to hex the look off her face if she didn't stop staring. Blushing, she turned away to look at her school bag, suddenly remembering a sandwich she had smuggled out of the kitchens on her way to Potions earlier that day.

"Professor-"

"What?" he snapped angrily, shifting uncomfortably into a cross-legged position on the floor. Once again, his stomach mumbled its protest, demanding food, and immediately, Snape folded his arms together over his chest, trying to look like anything other than a starving man.

"Well, sir, I've got a sandwich in my schoolbag," Hermione answered, her eyes lowered. "I hadn't thought of it before as I forgot about it during Potions class, but I can cast a duplicating charm so that we wouldn't run out of food, even if we do get tired of eating sandwiches." Snape was silent for a few moments, but the corner of his lip twitched in response. When Hermione said nothing and raised an eyebrow in expectation for a polite request for food, his eyes darkened with impatience.

"We haven't all day, Miss Granger!" Snape finally snapped, and Hermione straightened up indignantly.

"_I'm_ the one with the food, so I can decide whether or not I'd want to share," she shot back, "and I'd reconsider my attitude if I were you, especially if-"

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"Accio sandwich!" Snape suddenly called out, and a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich flew across the room into his hands as Hermione cried out in alarm. A jumble of words and a few seconds later, there was a hearty stack of sandwiches at Snape's side, and he munched merrily, his eyes glittering with triumph.

"You rude prick!" Hermione sputtered, burbling an incoherent stream of profanities, causing her Potions Professor to pause from his eating to mimic her raised eyebrow from a few minutes before.

"Pibe boints!" he muttered happily with his mouth full, and Hermione growled in aggravation, but suddenly, her eyes lightened considerably, remembering exactly what kind of sandwich he was eating. She reached into her school bag and pulled out a thermos, which was charmed to keep its contents cold. A realization dawned on Snape as he stared at the thermos in Hermione's arms. He swallowed and gulped the remainder of the sandwich down, but his mouth was still feeling rather sticky from the peanut butter, and Hermione tilted her head in a superior manner.

"I hold in my hands a container of milk, Professor," Hermione began, hugging the thermos to her chest. "It is often the perfect complement to a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, and assuming by the evil look in your eyes, this is exactly what you want, is it not, Professor?" He growled in response. "All you need to do is apologize, sir-" He made a sound of protest and crossed his arms. "I know you want some milk, sir," Hermione coaxed with a slight smirk. "Is it really so hard to apologize-"

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"Accio thermos!" His voice rang out again, but Hermione clutched onto the thermos so strongly that instead of the thermos itself whizzing across the room, a rather surprised Hermione found herself skidding across with it, landing into the arms of a started Potions Master. The collision knocked the thermos out of Hermione's hands, and Snape found himself lying flat on his back on the floor with Hogwarts' Head Girl lying prostrate on top of him. The thermos rolled by his head, forgotten for the moment as his mind concentrated on the deliciously warm weight of Hermione's body, and almost immediately, the pressure in his trousers fought against its restrictions.

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Merlin, it's been years since I've reacted this way, he thought to himself, completely surprised at his body's quick response to Hermione.

For a moment, neither moved, both too shocked from the impact, but then Hermione shifted slightly, and a small gasp escaped her lips as she felt a bulge pressing against her stomach. With wide eyes, she looked down at Snape's embarrassed face and realized that he was…_aroused_. And it was all because of her! The thought of an aroused, greasy Potions Professor was enough to make the whole of Hogwarts sick for years, but for some odd reason, she found herself…well, _excited_.

And that scared her.

Hermione was never one with much experience; the few times she had gotten near having intimate relations with anyone was with Ron's innocent fumbling in the Astronomy Tower when they had dated, but their relationship had ended long ago when they both realized they were better off as friends. And Viktor Krum, the first boy to give her any actual attention, had always been too busy with Quidditch to fully develop a real relationship with her, and they had ended things early. 

But now, there was a fully grown man beneath her, one whom she respected and admired. He was a man whose intelligence excited her to no end, a man with a tough exterior and rough edges, but also with a heroic, kind heart that made itself known in the fight against the Dark Lord.

And he was aroused because of her.

Suddenly, he seemed much more different to her as she looked down into his embarrassed face. He didn't look so callous and mean as he did before, and maybe it was the fact of his being so unexpectedly human that made him all the more appealing…

Without another thought as to what she was doing, her fingers traced over the hardened lines of his face, surprised at how soft and warm his skin actually was. He gulped loudly at her ministrations, and Hermione felt a shiver of exhilaration that he hadn't stopped her so far-

When she was unexpectedly shoved off.

"W-What?" she stuttered unintelligently as she landed on the cold floor, a clear contrast to the feel of his warm body pressed against hers. Snape immediately sat up and backed away from her as quickly as possible, stopping only when his back hit the solid hardness of the wall behind him. Hermione pulled herself up, her entire face aflame with humiliation, and she snuck a glance at Snape. He was breathing heavily, and she caught a look of desire on his face before his mask was once again put on. He sneered hideously in her direction, and grabbing the thermos a moment later, he whispered another charm to keep the thermos from running out of milk before he gulped heavily. When he had had his fill, he set the container down gently by the pile of sandwiches and stalked to the corner farthest away from Hermione.

"I-I'm sorry, sir," she stammered as soon as he settled himself on the ground. He said nothing, only causing her mortification to grow. She looked away from him, but was unable to dismiss the remembrance of the heat of his body, the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips. More importantly, she couldn't forget how much of an effect she had on him, how much of an effect _he_ had on _her_. _Merlin!_ she thought to herself as she shifted her legs slightly, feeling a dampness between her thighs. She was excited beyond belief despite her humiliation, and her biological reaction was only another confirmation of how much she wanted him.

Across the room, Snape was _not_ having an easier time. Gods, he wanted her, wanted to ravage her, but she was still his student, and he was about twenty years her senior! It was unethical, unthinkable and yet…so incredibly undeniable. Hermione was different than a majority of her peers; with an intelligence that almost matched his own and a hunger for information, she was quite was annoying, yes, but when he actually thought about it…it made her damn sexy. Most women his age had started to flock to him after his assistance in bringing down the Dark Lord, and although his new hero status allowed him many opportunities to finally establish a relationship, he could never find a woman who wasn't intimidated by his intelligence. Hermione, on the other hand, wanted to draw as much information from him as possible, constantly challenging him to give her adequate answers and never ever ceasing her questioning until she was satisfied, which wasn't very often. It was quite annoying at first, but as she grew older, Snape found it even a bit endearing as it made up for the lack of enthusiasm for his classes, and no matter how many times he took away points from her House or how many times he insulted her, she never faltered in her quest for knowledge.

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Gods, he thought to himself. _I'm going mad, lusting after a student! And it just _had _ to be the Granger girl at that!_

Then, there was a faint smell that caught his sensitive nose by surprise, and his eyes widened, recognizing it from the Dark Revels that used to take place during the Dark Lord's rise to power, when the Death Eaters captured Muggles for torturing and rape-

He shook his head, snapping himself from _those_ thoughts. He had never participated, but was always a witness to those heinous deeds, and he absolutely _hated_ thinking back to those days…

The smell once again demanded his attention, and he turned his focus to the young woman in front of him. Her robes were rumpled and her hair disheveled, and there were spots of pink clinging to her cheeks, and when she looked up and found herself the object of his observation, she colored an even deeper shade. She was no classic beauty by any means, but she _was_ beautiful in her own way, he had to admit. And she was completely aroused because of him…

She was aroused because of him!

It took another minute of silence to let the thought actually sink in, and when it did, the tightness in his pants became nearly unbearable, and he found breathing to be an even more difficult task. _Gods, man! Put yourself together!_ he sternly and quietly chided himself. It was his fault, really, if he thought about it. If he hadn't been so insistent in getting what he wanted, the tension already in the room wouldn't have escalated to _sexual_ tension. If there was one thing Snape hated, it was admitting he was wrong, but he knew he had to say something - _anything_ - to relax the atmosphere in the room.

"I fear my apology is in order," he stated uneasily as he looked at her. Her head snapped up in disbelief, her lips parting slightly in surprise. "I shouldn't have been so uncouth and discourteous, and I apologize for taking your things without your consent. And please, do stop gaping like fish, Miss Granger. It doesn't suit you." A flash of anger crossed her features for a second, but it was gone when the reality of his apology hit her.

"You needn't apologize," she answered softly, lowering her eyes as her cheeks once again took on an attractive pink. "If I had been hungry, and you had possession of food and wouldn't give it to me, I probably would have reacted in the same manner. Basic human needs tend to make us act without much thought-" She cut herself off and bit her bottom lip, and Snape was sure of what 'basic human need' she was thinking of at the moment, for it was also the same thing in his mind.

He sighed inwardly. They _needed_ to get out of there, that was certain, because Snape knew that he had absolutely no idea how long he could resist temptation.

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"Where the hell is that bloody thing?!" Ron cried out in frustration as he collapsed in an armchair in the deserted Gryffindor Common Room. All their other House mates were in the Great Hall for dinner, but Ron and Harry snuck by the kitchens before retiring early to the tower, wanting to avoid the curious eyes and questions of the whereabouts of their other best friend.

"I think Crookshanks is trying to avoid us on purpose," Harry sighed, falling into the armchair next to Ron. "He doesn't even show up on the Marauder's Map! Doesn't he even _know _Hermione is missing? Shouldn't he? He is her familiar after all!"

"Dumbledore has choked on one too many lemon drops, I'm telling you," Ron groaned. "'Crookshanks will find them.' Bullocks!" They fell into silence as they gazed outside the windows, watching the fading sun drift just below the horizon. It was now about four hours since Hermione and Snape's disappearance, but to Harry and Ron, the hours passed by ever so slowly.

"You never really realize how much someone means to you until he or she has gone missing," Ron muttered.

"Why, Ron, I never knew you felt so tenderly for Snape," Harry commented, more somberly than with mirth.

"Shut up, Harry."

"Right."

*****

TBC…


	4. Chapter Four: Sleeping Arrangements

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J. K. Rowling. I am merely borrowing several of her characters for a while! Though, I do wish I had my own Severus Snape to play with. Sigh.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you all so much for the reviews! ^_^ And thank you to my beta Sheila! ^_^

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**Given the Chance**

By: Goddess-Isis-112

**Chapter Four: Sleeping Arrangements**

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Granger's eyes were on him once more, and it was driving him mad. He could feel it within every fiber of his physical body; her cinnamon brown eyes were boring into his skull, studying him as if he were one of his very own rare Potions ingredients. He gritted his teeth, refusing to acknowledge her stare, though it was beginning to grate more and more on his nerves. _How in the world did I ever think this bossy know-it-all was arousing?_ he thought darkly to himself. _Her inquisitiveness is absolutely infuriating, and if she does _not _take her eyes off of me soon_...

"What is it that you find so appallingly interesting that you must stare so rudely, Miss Granger?" he finally snapped, and she jumped in surprise at his sudden reaction, which left her fumbling for words. When she hadn't answered, he looked at her for the first time in a several hours, and gulped. Her cheeks were flushed with humiliation and her bottom lip was tucked underneath her teeth, a habit that he usually found quite annoying, but at the moment was almost appealing. _This is why you're not to look at her more than you should, Snape!_ his mind growled at himself, shifting his position on the ground. _She will be the end of you! Be strong man, be strong!_

"I'm sorry, sir," she whispered from across the room, looking away from him. "I-I j-just c-couldn't help myself..." Whatever answer he had been expecting, it wasn't that, and he felt his jaw drop slightly before he could prevent it, and refusing to look like a gawking teenage boy, he clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms across his chest. _Get your mind off of smut, get your mind off of smut, get your mind off of smut_...the mantra repeated itself over and over in his head before he allowed himself to reply.

"If this is your attempt to acquire the top marks in Potions at the end of term, Miss Granger, I assure you, it has failed miserably," he hissed, only causing her to growl back indignantly.

"With all due respect sir, I am a hard worker, and it was not a habit of using compliments that allowed me the top rank in my class!" she shot back angrily. "Honestly! Is it so hard to believe..." Her voice faltered and she looked away from him.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

"Finish your sentence, Miss Granger."

"No. It wasn't important."

"Miss Granger..." There was a dangerous tone to his voice now, but Hermione bit her lip, refusing to abate his curiousity.

"I wonder what time of day it is?"

"The last time I checked my pocket watch, it was nearly 9:30 at night but-"

"Really? Well, I should really transfigure this sink into a bed-" At the mention of a bed, both fell into an uncomfortable silence, and Hermione cursed under her breath at her poor choice of words. She then tried to cover up her mistake by doing the only thing she knew how in situations such as the one she was currently in, and that was to babble rapidly. "-or rather, two beds because of course, it would be positively weird to only have one bed in the room with the two of us-" _Hermione, just shut up already!, _her mind yelled, but once she started rambling it was nearly impossible to stop- "and of course, it would be even more weird if we actually shared one bed, but then again, I haven't the faintest idea how we would fit two beds into this tiny complex, but it would be possible to have bunk beds, I suppose. But I'm rather afraid of heights so you would have to take the top and I'd have to remain on the bottom-" Snape's face colored slightly as did Hermione's at the implications, but the girl would not stop. "Maybe bunk beds aren't as good an idea as I had originally thought, but then we are posed with the problem of having one bed or two, and yet, I'm unsure as to how-"

"Miss Granger, please, you're giving me a headache," Snape interrupted, burying his face in his hands so that his words came out muffled. "Just stop, for Merlin's sake, stop!" He sighed. "I merely asked for the completion of your previous statement, not an essay on the pros and cons of bunk beds."

"But shouldn't we figure out the sleeping arrangements-"

"I am curious as to what you were going to say, Miss Granger, before you ranted into a horrible disaster, so if you would-"

"No." Hermione bit her lip once more.

"Is it really so hard?" he asked in exasperation.

"What's it to you if I finish the sentence or not, sir?" she fired back.

"You were about to lecture about beliefs, Miss Granger," he answered back, his voice smoothly dark. "If you honestly think that a correction of my beliefs is in order, then enlighten me." He ended with a sarcastic smirk, and once again, Hermione found herself quietly lost in the blackness of his eyes, in the curve of his lips, and she visibly gulped. His silky voice caressed her ears with nothing else but a discomforting pleasure, and the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Honestly, sir, is it so hard to believe that you're attractive?"

The words were finally spoken, and teacher and student merely stared at each other.

"You were right, Miss Granger, it is your bedtime," he replied, his voice barely audible. "You are tired and are obviously having delusions."

"I'm not sleepy," she replied just as softly.

"Go to bed."

"No."

"Ten points."

"I told you, I didn't care about that anymore."

"Twenty points."

"It may not seem my place, but why do you deny-"

"Thirty points," he hissed angrily. "You are correct once again. It isn't your place. Now transfigure your bed and go to sleep."

"I need to use the toilet," she answered, her cheeks aflame, but never taking her gaze away from him.

"Fine," he spat. He hurriedly backed away from the corner in which the toilet resided, and as Hermione made her way across the room, Snape made the point of keeping as far away from her as possible. He faced the wall, keeping his expression firm and trying not to listen as Hermione relieved herself. But as the sounds of her pulling down the necessary garments reached his ears, his imagination went into overdrive, fantasizing about removing the rest of her clothing along with her knickers, which he assumed, were probably dangling around her knees at that moment. The sound of a flushing toilet was music to his ears, and he turned around in relief but right before Hermione had the chance to pull her knickers up to its proper spot, and he caught sight of her creamy thighs before she pulled her skirt down in alarm. She wrapped her school robes around herself protectively and without another word, she marched to the other corner of the room where the sink was. Snape turned his back to her, his cheeks red, and he looked down angrily at the bulge in his pants.

As Hermione washed her hands, she thought of Snape eyeing her legs, and it was enough to make her uncomfortably aroused. It had been a moment of unguarded interest on his part, and as much as she hated to admit it, the look in his eyes turned her on more than anything else had ever done so in the past. He wanted her; she could tell, but something was holding him back, besides the ethics of a student/teacher relationship. Not that that mattered much anyway. With her use of the Time Turner, she was well beyond legal age, and it _was _her final year at Hogwarts as a student, and even that was drawing to a close soon. There was something else in his eyes that made him hesitate, and she pressed her lips to a line in determination. She had to find out what it was, just to ease her sanity-

She shook her head a bit, wanting to chuckle at her riddiculous thoughts! Hadn't it been earlier that day in Potions, when she was reminded of what a horrible git Snape was, when he had been picking on Neville? And here she was, about six hours later, unable to think of him as anything other than a man whose barriers she wanted to break through, but why? Why was she suddenly so interested in him?

Unable to answer her own silent questions, she dried her hands and grabbed her wand from her school bag. Clearing her things away, she pointed her wand at the sink, and a few seconds later, Hermione's answer to the bed problem lay where the sink used to be. In its place was a single, huge four poster bed, big enough to accomodate a party of four people. What was even more interesting was its color scheme.

"Green, Miss Granger?"

"I always did like the color green before I ever attended Hogwarts," she admitted, "and even though my liking of the color has lessened somewhat due to a few Slytherins, it still remains a hidden favorite." He arched an eyebrow in amusement, but as he looked over the bed again, he stiffened.

"Decided on transfiguring only one, then?"

"We can share," she said, somewhat shyly. "It is big enough for the both of us. I promise I won't get in your way or anything."

"I think I'd rather take my chances on the floor."

"Honestly, Professor, stop acting like a teenaged prat and share the bed with me," she sighed. "I didn't transfigure it to this size only to keep it to myself. Anyway, If I tried to transfigure it into two separate beds, they would be side by side anyway. Might as well save myself the trouble and make one huge bed instead." Snape did have to admit that Hermione did have a point. The bed occuppied much of the space, and there really was no room for a second bed, but to share a bed with the one woman who had him so bloody excited did not sound like such a good idea, especially since that woman was his top student. He stared at the bed wearily until she finally sighed.

"Fine," she said impatiently. "I'm going to bed. The invitation to sleep on the other side is still open to you, if you should decide to take it." Pointing her wand at herself, Hermione transfigured her clothes into a comfortable pair of flannel pajamas, and after parting the curtains of the bed, she crawled in. "Good night, Professor," she called out, stifling a yawn.

He hesitated before whispering, "Good night," a few seconds later, unsure as to whether she had heard him or not. He remained on the floor by the foot of the bed, and after about ten minutes of complete, boring silence, the gentle sound of snoring greeted his ears. With Hermione asleep, Snape realized how lonelier it felt without her there awake with him, and although he was reluctant to admit it to himself, he actually _missed_ the sound of her voice arguing with him. But should he take her offer of sharing the bed? He stared at the green curtains for another fifteen minutes before the lure of the comforts of the bed called to him, and his posterior complained as he shifted on the cold, hard floor.

_It isn't as if you'd actually be _sleeping_ with the girl,_ he justified to himself. _You'd just be sleeping in the same bed, but not sleeping _sleeping_ together._ _Besides, she offered_. It made sense to him; as long as he kept his composure, nothing questionable was going to happen. With a definite nod, he grabbed his wand and transfigured his robes into an identical set of pajamas he normally wore, and walking quietly to the opposite side of the bed, he crawled in.

_Green satin sheets?!_ he mused as his fingers ran across the material, and he looked over to where Hermione was curled up into a ball. _All I need are the handcuffs,_ he thought in amusement, and chuckled softly at his absurd fantasy. The bed shifted slightly under his weight, but Hermione hardly seemed to notice, for she remained deep in sleep. Snape reached over and pulled a bit of the covers to his side as he settled on the edge of the bed, trying to ignore the pounding of his rather nervous heart. When nothing happened for the next ten minutes, he began to relax, and he closed his eyes, willing for sleep to take over.

But then the moaning started.

At first, Snape wasn't sure whether or not he was hearing things, but a mewing sort of sound escaped from her lips, and he turned around to stare at her. Was she having a terrible nightmare?

"Ooh," she muttered, in a tone he'd never heard her use before. "Severussss...." His groin shot to attention, and he sat up straight in amazement as he stared at the sleeping girl. Her eyes were moving rapidly behind her lids, and he was sure she was dreaming. She moved slightly to lie on her back, and a sudden thrusting of her hips into the air only caused him to widen his eyes even more.

"Pleassee," she groaned. "Severusss..."

"Holy Merlin," he muttered, and lay back down, shutting his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the fact that Granger was lying in bed next to him while having dreams about...he could only imagine. _Think Divination, think Divination!_ he commanded himself, but her moans demanded his attention, and he risked another look at her, only to see her reach down between her-

"Severusss," she hissed, biting her bottom lip, and he immediately turned away. _Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!_ his mind yelled at him, but for the next five minutes, he endured the most arousing sounds he had ever heard from Hermione Granger before she fell silent. He was beyond hard when she was through, but with a pause in her constant moaning, he was able to focus on Divination and had gratefully lost whatever had built up. He forced his eyes shut and fell asleep before he had another chance to hear Hermione once more.

Despite the enormous amount of space between the two of them, midnight had found them both in the center of the bed, Hermione with her head tucked under his chin while his arms wrapped protectively around her, and they slept more peacefully than they had previously before.

*****

TBC...


	5. Chapter Five: Morning Revelations

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe belongs to JK Rowling.

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Author's Notes: Okay, I must warn you all that this school quarter, I have taken on the task of being the Stage Manager of a production, and for those of you who aren't in theater, that basically means that I won't have time for any real updates for a month or so! I hope you understand ^_^ In this chapter, some romantic fluffiness ahead! Thank you all for your lovely reviews! You guys are wonderful ^_^ And many thanks to my beta Sheila!

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Given the Chance

By: Goddess-Isis-112

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Chapter Five: Morning Revelations

"Harry!!!" A frazzled Ron Weasley screamed, poking his red head between the curtains of Harry's four poster bed. "Wake up, Harry!"

"Whassamatter?" Harry grumbled, burying himself deeper into the comfort of his covers until Ron pulled them away. Harry shivered as the cold air hit his body, and he opened one eye in irritation.

"Get up, Harry!!!" Ron bellowed loudly. "It's important!"

"Right," Harry sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "But keep your voice down! You'll wake the others."

"They're not going to wake up." Ron rolled his eyes. "Neville's still in the infirmary after that, er -_ accident -_ in Herbology. Seamus snuck into the Ravenclaw Common Room to meet up with Padma, and he never returned. And Dean cast a strong Silencing Charm over his bed when he got back last night from the kitchens."

"So what are you doing up so early then?" Harry mumbled, his heavy eyelids obscuring his vision. He squinted to look out the window, and when Ron handed him his glasses, Harry saw that it was still dark. 

"I couldn't sleep," Ron admitted. "It's just...with Hermione gone-" His voice broke off as he left for a moment and returned a second later with the Marauder's Map in his hands. "And so I decided to check to make sure Hermione was alright, and then, look, Harry!!!" Harry took the Map out of Ron's hands and studied the dungeons. Instead of seeing two dots like he expected, there was only one labeled _Severus Snape_.

"Where's Hermione?!" Harry screeched in an unnaturally high voice.

"He's killed her!" Ron cried out, his eyes tearing up. "I bet they've dueled, and he's killed her!"

"Calm down, Ron!" Harry bellowed. "Hermione couldn't have disappeared just like that." He glared down at the Marauder's Map, hoping that it was flawed in some way, but it never had failed him before. He brought the Map close to his face so that his nose was slightly scraping against it, and he saw a tiny inconsistency in the outline of Snape's dot. Close up, it looked somewhat like the sun on the verge of an eclipse; Snape's dot was covering another one, which could only mean-

"Hermione's not gone," Harry said in a somewhat hollowed voice. "Hermione's dot can't be seen because..." Harry shuddered. There were so many possibilities...

"How do you know, Harry?" Ron asked eagerly, taking Harry by the shoulders and shaking him vigorously to snap him out of his thoughts. "What did you see?!"

"Well, notice how the dungeons are located right there near the corner of the parchment?" Harry said pointing. "And Snape's dot is right there on the edge? There's only room for one name, but by the outline of Snape's dot, you can see that it's partially covering another. It's hard to tell, but the other dot is cut off because of the edge...a-and because of Snape." His voice trailed off, waiting for the words to sink.

"So you mean..." Ron gulped. "Snape is somehow..._on top_ of Hermione?!"

"I-I know it sounds completely crazy-"

"Snape's trying to kill her!" Ron shrieked, even more alarmed than ever. His eyes were wide and wild, and when his hands nervously flew to his head, he grabbed his hair in frustration. "He's probably got her pinned to the floor trying to cut off her air supply! He's trying to shut her up, because you know how she can ramble on and on and on sometimes, and he's probably had enough of her, because you know Snape, he's got a temper, and he can't stand hearing her talk, he says so all the time in Potions, and he's probably-"

"Ron, BREATHE!" Harry demanded. "Calm down! It's probably not as bad as you think-"

"Why else would Snape be ON TOP OF HERMIONE?!" Ron snapped. "There is _no way_ Hermione would let Snape get _that_ close to her, let alone allow him to...to..._you-know-what_." Ron shivered as his face blanched, and judging by the look on his face, Harry knew _exactly_ what Ron was thinking.

"Hermione wouldn't let him do..._you-know-what_." Harry cringed as images entered unbidden into his head, images of Hermione and Snape doing…_things_. Harry felt bile rise to his throat, and he swallowed painfully, breathing deeply to relax. "He's a greasy, foul bastard. She's agreed to that several times before."

"I feel sick," Ron said, also swallowing deeply, his eyes never leaving the Marauder's Map. The dots, so close together they seemed like one, stayed that way for another half hour or so, with Harry and Ron never taking their eyes away from them. The sun was slowly coming over the horizon when, suddenly, the dots jerked apart, and Hermione's name squeezed into the corner as the dot flew several millimeters away from Snape. 

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered as Hermione's dot did a crazy spin before calming down a bit. Harry and Ron briefly glanced at each other worriedly before bringing their gazes once more to the Map, unable to tear their eyes away.

"Maybe they _are_ dueling," Harry commented.

"Anything's better than doing _you-know-what_, especially with Snape," Ron replied and shuddered with disgust.

***

Down in the dungeons, Hermione blinked several times, smiling contentedly, and snuggled closer to a source of warmth that had enveloped her sometime during the night, surrounding her with a comforting scent of different spices. The warmth gave a low guttural groan of approval and tightened its arms around her, and she emitted a sigh of happiness, her eyes closing to fully delve into the feeling of being held by strong arms...

Being held by strong arms?

Immediately, Hermione's eyes snapped open, and she stared wildly into the sleeping face of her dreaded Potions Professor. Their limbs were comfortably entangled, and although that did nothing to settle the uneasiness in her stomach, waking up beside him somehow felt..._right_. For a moment, her panic lessened as she studied his totally relaxed face, free from the lines his scowling usually enhanced, and he looked much more younger, vulnerable. With his hair threatening to spill across his face, she gave into the urge to sweep it back, tucking his locks (which were far from greasy, she mused) behind his ear and trailed her fingers down his cheek in a gentle caress. His skin felt supple and pliable beneath her fingertips, and she smiled, noting how his high cheekbones gave the impression that his skin was anything but. _I could get used to this_, she chuckled to herself before she started, shocked at the inner workings of her usually logical head. Snape's lips curved into a small grin at her caress, and she finally noticed his lovely black lashes when his eyes started to flutter open. Hermione's heart hammered in her chest when he immediately leaned his head closer to hers as if...as if he were about to _kiss her, _and she did nothing in hopes that, maybe, just maybe, this wasn't just another dream...

But it took only those few seconds for Snape to snap out of his confusion, and his eyes opened wide just as Hermione was about to lean in to meet his lips with her own. Completely caught off-guard, Snape let out a very un-Snapelike yelp and shoved Hermione away, and she cried out in alarm as she violently rolled over the side of the bed and landed gracelessly onto the cold floor. When Hermione painfully stood up, rubbing her backside, she found Snape sitting up looking awfully scandalized, holding the covers to his chin. 

"What were you _thinking_, Miss Granger?" Snape hissed in her direction as she began to circle around the bed to his side. "Or has staying locked up in one room clearly slowed your usually, annoyingly alert mind?" He edged away from her just as she reached him, and she sighed in exasperation.

"Well, it wasn't as if you were so innocent yourself," she said, her cheeks flushing furiously with embarrassment. "I was merely following your lead after all!"

"I was _not_ going to do anything!" Snape defended, his black eyes piercing hers with anger.

"Like hell, you weren't!" she snapped back, and then winced painfully when she raised her arm to wag her finger at him. Instead, she clutched her side and whimpered. "You were going to kiss me." Snape reared back as if slapped.

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Five points!"

"Gods," Hermione groaned, shaking her head. "This is why I _hate_ arguing with you!"

"Good!" he roared back, running nervous fingers through his hair. "Listen. To. Me. Miss. Granger. There is no _possible_ way that I, as your Professor, would take advantage of our situation and do something as dishonorable as...as make _advances_ toward you, especially since you are still my student and at least twenty years younger-"

"What if I wanted you to?" Hermione interrupted impatiently and gasped as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She bit her lip and looked away, muttering almost inaudibly to herself, "I hate it when I do that..."

"I assure you, Miss Granger, that this will NOT go beyond our relationship as teacher and student," Snape said, ignoring the sudden pounding of his protesting heart. "I was NOT going to kiss you, nor did anything happen last night-"

"But I woke up in your arms," she said quietly, the tone of her voice hinged with the tiniest trace of hurt. "Even if nothing really, _really_, happened, I know that that did, and..." Her voice faded as she took a deep shuddering breath, and her sorrowful expression slowly started to melt the iciness of his glare. She walked away from the bed and approached the plate of peanut butter and jam sandwiches which Snape had set up the day before. She grabbed one and sullenly began to chew on it as she sat with her back against the foot of the bed, just so she wouldn't have to face him. All that was visible to him was the top of her bushy brown hair.

Snape waited for a few minutes, waiting for her to say something, _anything_, to rouse his anger again, to make him feel anything else other than the guilt that riddled him the moment she began to ignore him.

"Miss Granger," he said, but she wouldn't turn around, and instead, she continued to chew mechanically. "_Miss Granger._"

Again, there was no response.

"Put that sandwich down, Miss Granger!" he ordered angrily. "We must talk! You cannot harbor this...this silly crush! It will only make things uncomfortable for us when we do get out of this horrid, decrepit place." Hermione continued with her sandwich as if he hadn't spoken at all, and swallowing the remainder of her sandwich, she got up and reached for the thermos of milk. Snape watched her as she gulped loudly, and taking in too much, she accidentally sputtered on it, causing the milk to dribble down the sides of her lips. Snape felt his mouth go dry at the sight of the creamy white milk spilling down her face and dripping onto her pajamas. Immediately, his body betrayed his arousal, and he was thankful that he still had his covers around him, for he knew his trousers were tented in one particular spot, and he glanced down to make sure that none of it was visible. He brought his attention back to Hermione, but she was once again sitting on the floor with her back to him.

"Damn it, Hermione, talk to me!" he growled, and finally, he saw her turn ever so slowly to him.

"What did you call me?" she whispered, and he shifted, very uncomfortable.

"Miss Granger-"

"No." She shook her head, her bushy brown hair tumbling over her shoulders. "You called me Hermione."

"That is your name, isn't it?" he snapped. "Or is that one of the things, much like the inappropriateness of a teacher/student relationship, that have you forgotten as well?" She merely stared at him, an unreadable look on her face.

"Never, in all the years I've been here at Hogwarts have I ever heard you address me by my first name," she said softly. "It's just…I-It…I-" She cut herself off, her cheeks flushing, and she quickly spun back around. "Nevermind."

"What?"

"No, nevermind."

"Are we going to have another word war again?" he sighed, thanking the heavens that the tension in his nether regions was beginning to fade.

"No, sir." Her voice was soft with resignation, and Snape grew quiet as well, unsure as to what to do or what to say. They hadn't resolved anything, and though he was always quick with his witty comments, words failed him at that moment, and they sat in tense silence.

__

This is why _I don't get involved in such things!_ he thought to himself in irritation as he crossed his arms. _Right. If she wants to play the silence game, then so be it. We'll see who'll break first._

***

"They've stopped moving," Harry commented to Ron, who was now sitting across from him on his bed.

"At least there's a good distance between them," Ron replied, smugly, but Harry gasped, his eyes catching a moving dot near the top of the parchment.

"It's Crookshanks!" Harry stuttered excitedly, pointing his finger wildly at the slowly moving dot.

"Where did he come from?!" Ron shrieked, watching as Crookshanks made his way down a particular passage that Harry was sure led to nowhere.

"Fred and George had told me that that route didn't lead anywhere," Harry said, puzzled.

"Well, just because Fred and George couldn't get through doesn't mean that Crookshanks couldn't either!" Ron argued. "He's much smaller than Fred and George for one thing, so he could probably squeeze through where they couldn't." He paused slightly, looking unsure. "Should we follow him?"

"Well, he came from here," Harry said, pointing at the top right-hand corner of the parchment, "which means, he entered the passage from Hogsmeade."

"No wonder we couldn't find him!" Ron exclaimed. "He was out of school bounds."

"Exactly!" Harry nodded. "We could use the passage behind that one-eyed statue to get into Honeydukes. But once we're in Hogsmeade, I haven't the faintest idea of where the passage entrance could be. There are way too many possible locations. I wouldn't know how to narrow it down."

"So are we just going to wait for Crookshanks to work it out on his own?" Ron sighed helplessly as he watched the familiar's tiny dot wander around aimlessly, and the Map seemed to rewrite itself the further Crookshanks went along. Suddenly, the dot stopped and moved backwards again, and the newly written lines were erased by an invisible hand. When Crookshanks found another route that hadn't been previously explored, the Map once again rearranged its design, carefully following Hermione's familiar.

"How do we know he'll find them?" Ron sighed. "Look! He's walking in the opposite direction of where he's supposed to go!" Suddenly, Harry's green eyes lit up with excitement, and he jumped off his bed. Ignoring the shockingly chilly floor, Harry dug through his trunk and smiled when he pulled out a worn red book with gilded lettering adorning the cover.

"You know how many times we've all speculated that maybe Crookshanks was half-Kneazle, right?" Harry began. "Don't you remember what it says in 'Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them?'" He flipped through the pages and stopped, reading aloud a passage. " 'The Kneazle is intelligent, independent and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavoury or suspicious characters ("That's for sure," Ron muttered, wincing slightly as he thought of Scabbers) and _can be relied upon to guide its owner safely home if they are lost_.' Don't you see? That's probably what Dumbledore meant!"

"You probably have no idea how much you sound like Hermione at the moment," Ron muttered, but his eyes betrayed the hope that was starting to build. "Dumbledore was right again, I suppose."

"Let's just hope that Crookshanks finds his way before Snape and Hermione finish each other off," Harry said quietly, walking back to his bed and staring down at the Map that lay on his covers. "I'm afraid that by the time Crookshanks gets to them, they'll both be in need of Madam Pomfrey's help."

Ron scowled. "Ew, what _are_ they doing?" He shook his fist at the Map. "Get away from her, Snape!"

***

It was growing far too quiet, and Hermione shifted uncomfortably on the floor. She could hear Snape moving noisily on the bed as the springs squeaked under his weight, and sighing, she closed her eyes. The same line repeated over and over again in her head, but she did anything but banish it away from memory.

__

"Hermione…" The sound of her name on his lips was absolute heaven. His voice sounded like a silky smooth caress to her ears, and she longed to have him say it again. 

Her thoughts flew to how his name would sound coming from her. She never consciously said his first name aloud to herself, but last night (she blushed slightly), she had the most erotic dream of him, most of which entailed her screaming out _'Severus!'_ for all the world to hear. She thanked her heavenly stars that she hadn't spoken aloud. She would die from sheer embarrassment.

On the bed, Snape watched Hermione sit mutely in deep thought, and there was a nagging urge inside of him to apologize to her, to say anything to get her to talk to him again. He knew he had been callous in accusing her of trying to seduce him, and, he looked away from her guiltily, he knew that she was right: he _had _almost kissed her. But it wasn't as if he really meant to…

"Miss Granger," he heard himself say, but it was too late to take back the words; he silently cursed himself for giving in first.

"What?" she snapped, never turning around to face him.

"Aren't we being…well, a bit _childish_ about this?" If there was one thing he should have said, it wasn't that.

Hermione swung around and got up on her feet, her eyes flashing in his direction. "Childish?" she repeated, letting out a bitter laugh. "_Childish? _ You're the one who takes away house points whenever conversation goes into 'forbidden territory.' I wanted to talk about it, but you refuse to see what's happening before you. I am no child. Haven't you realized that, yet?" Her lips trembled slightly with emotion.

"What do you want, Miss Granger?" he hissed. "What exactly can come from this? _Nothing_. It would be of no use to dwell on dreams-"

"But this is no dream," she cut in, her eyes locking with his. "This is reality. You are here. I am here. And what happened this morning _happened_. You can't erase that, no matter how much you try to. We reached for each other subconsciously last night, Severus." His eyes widened as she addressed him, and a faint pink covered her cheeks, but she continued on determinedly. "The important thing was, neither of us turned away." She inched closer to the foot of the bed. "What I want, Severus-" he shivered slightly, "-is you. I don't care what my friends may think about this, I don't care what Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, or the lot of them may think about this because they haven't the faintest idea of what you do to me."

"You don't know me, Miss Granger!" he spat. He moved closer to the foot of the bed to tower over her. "You don't know who I am or what I've done in the past." He sighed and gulped. "I was going to apologize, but it seems you are still under the impression that something can happen-"

"It can," Hermione whispered. "How can I know you if you keep pushing me away? I know you're intelligent, brave, and, although you are discreet about it, you care deeply about others. I see that much, but I want to know more about you-"

"Why?" he questioned angrily. "Am I just another challenge to you, another test to pass-"

"No," she said quietly. "You're just…different." Her eyes shone softly with tears. "I'm like you, you know. Never really being accepted by others, always being used for my abilities. Just once…I j-just wanted to know a kindred spirit. I thought that maybe, it could be you."

Stunned and at a loss for words, Snape looked down into her face and could not mistake the genuine sincerity he found there for anything else. His heart did fierce acrobatics within his chest, urging him to give into his feelings, just once. He focused on her gaze again and found his reflection staring back at him in the warm brown of her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, he reached down, cupped her face in his hands and descended his lips upon hers with a fervor he had no idea he possessed. Their lips fit together, like lost puzzle pieces that had finally been brought together after being lost amoung the lot. He gasped when her tongue slid across his lower lip, silently pleading with him, and he willingly allowed her entrance, and his own tongue met hers with heated passion. She moaned into his mouth, clutching at him desperately, wanting to take in all he had to give all at in one moment. His heart burst free in song, dancing and drifting inside his chest, drunk with an emotion he never thought he had the ability to feel. He slightly pulled away from her, drinking in her flushed face and swollen lips, and he closed his eyes as her hand reached up to caress his cheek.

"Don't you see, Severus?" Hermione choked. "This _is_ real." Snape said nothing; instead he leaned toward her again, capturing her eager lips with his own, tasting the sweetness she had to offer.

And for once, Snape felt as if he had made the right choice.

*****

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